The Cherokee Syllabary

The Cherokee syllabary is a writing system for the Cherokee language. It was created by a man named Sequoyah in the early 1800s. Each symbol stands for a syllable, not a single letter. This made it easier for Cherokee people to learn to read and write in their own language.

Who Was Sequoyah

Sequoyah was a Cherokee man who could not read or write English. He saw how useful writing was and spent 12 years creating a system for his own language. At first, some people thought he was wasting his time. But when he showed that his daughter could read messages written in Cherokee, everyone was amazed.

How It Works

The Cherokee syllabary has 85 symbols. Each symbol represents a syllable, like ka, li, or no. Because there are only 85 syllables to learn, Cherokee people could learn to read and write in just a few weeks. Soon, the Cherokee Nation had its own newspaper and books.

Fun Facts

• Sequoyah is the only known person in history to create a writing system all by himself without being able to read any language.
• The giant sequoia trees in California are named after Sequoyah.
• The Cherokee Phoenix, first published in 1828, was the first Native American newspaper.

Did You Know?

Within just a few years of Sequoyah finishing his syllabary, most Cherokee people had learned to read and write.